Savings in Transnational Households: A Field Experiment among Migrants from El Salvador

Nava Ashraf (), Diego Aycinena, Claudia Martínez A. () and Dean Yang
Additional contact information
Nava Ashraf: Harvard Business School
Claudia Martínez A.: Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Claudia Martínez A.

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2015, vol. 97, issue 2, 332-351

Abstract: We implemented a randomized field experiment that tested ways to stimulate migrants’ savings in their origin country. We find that migrants value opportunities to exert greater control over financial activities in their home countries. We offered U.S.-based migrants bank accounts in El Salvador, randomly varying migrant control over El Salvador–based savings by offering different accounts across treatments. Migrants offered the greatest degree of control accumulated the most savings. Impacts likely represent increases in total savings; there is no evidence that savings increases were simply reallocated from other savings mechanisms. Enhanced control over home country savings does not affect remittances sent home. © 2015 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Keywords: migrant; savings; control; remittances; home country; country of origin; El Salvador (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (71)

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Working Paper: Savings in Transnational Households: A Field Experiment among Migrants from El Salvador (2014)
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